A change has come and gone
Philip Roth writes of a different America
By Todd Leopold
CNN
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(CNN) -- Depending on the creator, the "what if" game of alternative history can be enlightening or absurd, scintillating or silly.
The Ray Bradbury story "A Sound of Thunder" imagines a fictional world literally changed by the demise of an insect. The Sinclair Lewis novel "It Can't Happen Here" posits a fascist United States at the time of the Depression. The Robert Harris book "Fatherland" imagines a World War II win for Nazi Germany, and then a planned meeting 20 years later between President Joseph P. Kennedy and an aging Adolf Hitler.
And then there's "Saturday Night Live," which poked fun at the whole idea by wondering what would have happened in World War II if Eleanor Roosevelt could fly.
Alternative history is a juicy concept for books and movies, not least because real history has so often turned on a dime. Winston Churchill was hit by a New York City taxi in 1931 and almost died; how would the world have changed? The Mongols were on the verge of conquering Europe in the 13th century but turned back because a ruler died thousands of miles away. How would this brutal and unforgiving civilization have affected the centuries to come?
Now Philip Roth -- who often plays with character, particularly characters named "Philip Roth" (see "Operation Shylock" and "The Facts") and the Roth-like "Nathan Zuckerman" (see "The Counterlife," "The Facts" and many others) -- has entered the alternative history arena.
In his new book, Roth imagines an America that elects the isolationist, anti-Semitic Charles Lindbergh president in 1940 and the effect of a Lindbergh presidency on the Newark, New Jersey, family of 7-year-old Philip Roth.
Eye on Entertainment investigates.
Eye-opener
Today, people are more likely to remember Lindbergh as "Lucky Lindy," the first solo flyer to cross the Atlantic. But in the late '30s and early '40s, Lindbergh was better known in the United States as a leader of America First, a right-wing isolationist organization, and as an admirer of Nazi Germany.
In Roth's book, "The Plot Against America" (Houghton Mifflin), Lindbergh defeats Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940 election and gradually puts into force his isolationist beliefs.
In the world of a Lindbergh presidency, the U.S. signs nonaggression pacts with Germany and Japan, and people march in rallies against the "Jewish war."
But the story also plays out on a smaller level -- that of Roth's family in Newark. His parents are vehemently against Lindbergh, but an aunt marries a rabbi who is a Lindbergh sympathizer. Anti-Semitic activity rises across the country, and neighbors decamp for Canada -- or get taken into an "absorption" program.
The march of the book seems inexorable, and the country becomes more polarized and divided over what America stands for.
Some columnists and reviewers have stressed the book's parallels to the present day, though Roth himself -- in an essay for The New York Times Book Review and in an NPR interview -- has said that it is merely a what-if capsule of his childhood, inspired by a stray note he wrote in a book he was reading in 2000. (Given his fondness for metafictional tale-spinning, take that however you want.)
Either way, it can't help but spark thought -- and argument.
"The Plot Against America" comes out Tuesday.
On screen
"Ladder 49," starring John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix, immerses itself in the daily lives of firefighters. The film opens Friday.The computer-animated "Shark Tale" features the voices of Will Smith, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese to tell the tale of a sea creature who finds himself a, uh, big fish -- though not necessarily deservedly. Opens Friday.Reviewers have been tying themselves in knots trying to describe "I Heart Huckabees," the new film from "Three Kings" director David O. Russell. It includes firemen, environmentalists, executives, models and existential detectives. OK, maybe the cast is the draw: Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, Jude Law, Naomi Watts and Jason Schwartzman, just for starters. Opens in a handful of cities Friday; goes into wide release October 15.On the tube
Election season is either reaching an exciting fever pitch -- or forcing you to flee, screaming, to a place with no television, newspapers or computer access, depending upon your wont. The first of three presidential debates is Thursday at 9 p.m.; the sole vice-presidential debate arrives Tuesday night. CNN will have full coverage.The season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" features host Ben Affleck. The show airs 11:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC.Sound waves
R.E.M.'s new album, "Around the Sun" (Warner Bros.), is released on Tuesday.It's been three years since Cake last graced the charts, with "Comfort Eagle." The band's new record, "Pressure Chief" (Sony), is due Tuesday."The Chronicles of Life & Death" (Sony), featuring both "life art" and "death art" covers, is the new album from Good Charlotte. It comes out Tuesday.Paging readers
"Chronicles, Volume One" (Simon and Schuster), Bob Dylan's long-awaited autobiography -- at least a portion of it -- comes out Tuesday. Video center
He swore he'd get it out before the election, and he has: the DVD of Michael Moore's surprise hit "Fahrenheit 9/11," complete with bonus features, hits stores Tuesday. (Read Paul Clinton's review.)
